Posted on 11/25/2004 10:58:56 AM PST by Pikamax
Immigrants thankful for an American holiday By Liz Mineo / News Staff Writer Thursday, November 25, 2004
FRAMINGHAM -- Since she came here four years ago, Brazilian Bianca Fontenelle has celebrated the most American holiday of her new homeland.
"Celebrating Thanksgiving has been a good way to learn about this country," said Fontenelle, who runs a catering business in Framingham. "As immigrants who live here, we need to learn the culture of our new country and practice the traditions."
Every Thanksgiving, Fontenelle shares the tradition with millions of American families, who gather around the table for a feast that includes turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie.
But like many immigrants who mix new traditions with customs of their native land, Fontanelle will serve the traditional Thanksgiving dinner adding rice, Brazilian salad -- a mix of lettuce, fruits and ham -- and pudding for dessert.
Framingham is home to immigrants from Brazil, Central and South America, Russia, China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa. According to Census 2000, one of every five people in town is foreign born.
With each group following its own customs, Thanksgiving has a multicultural flavor. Turkeys will occupy center stage on the tables of immigrants, but there will be also meals that remind them of home.
At Leo Wu's table, for example, there will be turkey, as well as some traditional Chinese dishes made with pork, fish and beef that he and his family eat during the Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in China and several countries in Asia.
"The first year, I bought a 25-pound turkey, and I couldn't eat the whole thing," said Wu, a Westborough resident who came here eight years ago. "I didn't like it that much. Now, we have a small turkey."
For Wu, Thanksgiving reminds him of the Chinese New Year. For Guatemalan Arcely Grijalva, it is more like Christmas.
"The whole family gets together and shares dinner," said Grijalva, who works as a manager at McDonald's in Framingham. "It's a great tradition."
To celebrate the holiday, Grijalva will roast turkey and chicken, the way she used to do in her homeland. She will add tastes of her country in the stuffing - a mix of vegetables and ground meat - and for dessert, a drink called "ponche" made with cinnamon, cloves, large peppercorns and dried fruits.
Brazilian Ane De Paula, who came here eight years ago, also likes to add a touch of home to her Thanksgiving dinner.
"I eat everything that Americans eat for Thanksgiving," said De Paula, who works as a baby-sitter. "Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, everything, but I add Brazilian seasoning. Lots of garlic, lots of salt and lots of pepper."
In their desire to assimilate, immigrants quickly incorporate Thanksgiving. It's a way to become more American, said Edson Marinho, a Brazilian who owns Brazilian Meat Market on Howard Street.
"It's an American holiday," said Marinho. "Brazilians who live here for a long time, celebrate it like Americans."
Still, Marinho says many Brazilians buy pork and meat at his store the day before Thanksgiving to make traditional meals from home.
While immigrants relish adding new flavors to their Thanksgiving dinners, they also relish the holiday as a day for expressing thanks for the good things in life.
Before dinner, De Paula and her family will say a prayer of thanks for all the good things they have now.
"Our life is much better," she said. "My children have a better future, I have a job and I can walk down the streets feeling safe."
Russian native Albert Shmidt, 67, shares the feeling.
"It's a beautiful holiday," said Shmidt, who will celebrate his first Thanksgiving together with his wife, Margarita Kostina.
"It's a beautiful tradition that recalls the Pilgrims and the Native Americans getting together to say thanks. Because of that holiday, we're here. That holiday made America what it is now."
My roomate went out and bought everything. I gotta cook it tho. All I've heard for the past 3 weeks is Baked Turkey...in English and Spanish.
According to the IRS, in 2001 individuals paying taxes with an ITIN, rather than a Social Security number (i.e. illegal aliens; the only individuals who have a need for or qualify for an ITIN are those without citizenship or lawful permanent residency) paid $305 million in federal income taxes. Calculated against 8 million illegal aliens, that’s a per capita federal tax payment of $38.13, and against 12 million illegal aliens, that’s a per capita federal tax payment of only $25.42. Since neither payment indicates earnings that would allow an individual to survive for one year, we can conclude only that there is persistent, massive tax non-compliance among illegal immigrants.
The millions of illegal aliens in America are very grateful this Thanksgiving Day for your contributions to their welfare. They will be eternally grateful for the "Title 8 of the US Code laws be damned" attitude that our President has.
BTTT
Shared our Thanksgiving meal with an immigrant this year. He is here on work visa, but starts his citizenship process next year. He has no home, as he was born into refugee status in Jordan. Though he didn't seem all that eager, perhaps he will be able to one day visit the Palestinian territory of his ancestors, when/if it is ever a nation state. However, he doesn't want to do that unless and until he is an American citizen. He seems extremely grateful to be in this country, and looks forward to being an American next year.
As a second generation American myself (from the U.K.), I appreciate that it takes all kinds......to become an America!
Hope you had/are having a great Thanksgiving!
Is there anything that makes it illegal (or impossible) for an illegal alien (which could include asylum seekers whose applications are not yet approved or which may be denied) to have a Social Security Number?
Generally, an alien may obtain an SSN in three instances: (1) the alien is a permanent resident or has a legal status permitting employment in the United States; (2) the alien lacks such status but has a valid nonwork purpose that requires an SSN; or (3) the alien resides in the United States, has no evidence of alien status, and needs the SSN by law as a condition for receiving a federally-funded benefit. In this last case the alien may receive an SSN limited to a nonwork purpose. 20 C.F.R. § 422.104(a).
The SSA has said that it will not generally assign SSNs to aliens in the United States who are not authorized to work.
Hardly. Legal immigrants are by far more likely to embrace American culture and celebrate our holidays than those stealing their way into the U.S. The liklihood is greater, in part, because they have some family base attachment to America through marriage, etc.. unlike a border hopper. Those stealing into the U.S. naturally will less likely attempt to assimilate for fear of apprehension - but will flock with their own covey, shunning American culture.
SOME immigrants get here by lying to Americans who just want to love them. Then they dump them, get welfare for life and get a monthly stipend at the cost of the American who sponsored them here.
I hate Russian immigrants.
Dammit, man!!!
Did the article say all of the immigrants mentioned are here illegally??? No?
Thought so.
What was the purpose of your post, then?
By the way, whom do they think we're thanking, anyway?
>>What was the purpose of your post, then?<<
BECAUSE, there are MILLIONS of them and the BORDERS ARE STILL OPEN!
Did you notice the article didn't say anything about these being LEGAL ALIENS?
In LA County there are hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who have been in the US for years. The kids are legal, only because they were born here, but Mom and Pop are not legal.
The purpose? Why to try to inject something nasty about immigrants -- EVEN LEGAL ONES -- on each and every thread on FR.
FGS, B4, it's Thanksgiving Day; give it a rest.
Deception by our Leader is not something that I respect. He needs to read his Oath of Office more frequently, at least until he can recite it without any notes. It only has 34 words in it.
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
The President of the United States needs to earn the $400,000 a year that we pay him.
He is our President, an elected official, not our King which makes him a public servant, not royalty with the power to do as he sees fit.
And what on earth does that have to do with LEGAL IMMIGRANTS celebrating Thanksgiving?
I seriously doubt the article is referring to 'legal immigrants.'
Even the illegals around me, celebrate thanksgiving. I thought it was pretty telling that they were the first ones with flags ouside on 9-11.
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